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Conyers has been pushing for the contempt vote, arguing that the White House must be held accountable for ignoring subpoenas issued by his panel.
Photo: John Shinkle

House Democrats have postponed a vote until December on contempt resolutions against White House chief of staff Josh Bolten and former White House counsel Harriet Miers, delaying for now any constitutional showdown with the White House over the president’s power to resist congressional subpoenas.

Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.) has been pushing for the contempt vote, arguing that the White House must be held accountable for ignoring subpoenas issued by his panel as part of the U.S. attorney firing scandal. Other top Democrats, including Caucus Chairman Rahm Emanuel (Ill.), have argued that the House should put off that fight while debates over Iraq funding and electronic eavesdropping dominate the floor. The contempt vote had been tentatively scheduled for Friday before Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.) informed his colleagues that it was being delayed.

“[Emanuel] has been saying that this week is not the time to do this, that it will step on our message on Iraq and FISA,” said a top House Democratic leadership aide.

Emanuel could not be reached for comment by press time on Tuesday. The Illinois Democrat was overseeing an “issues conference” for House Democrats, urging rank-and-file lawmakers to hold more town-hall-style meetings with constituents in order to explain to them what Democrats have achieved since taking control of Congress.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is backing Conyers and wants a floor vote on the contempt resolution, but she has agreed to wait another few weeks before forcing a showdown with President Bush on the matter.

“I think it’s going to happen before we leave for the year, but not necessarily this week,” Hoyer said Tuesday.

Hoyer, who has been seen by some Democratic insiders as noncommittal on the issue, said he fully backs Pelosi and Conyers on the contempt resolutions.

“I think that the contempt that has been shown the Congress of the United States by the refusal to testify is unprecedented and will not be upheld by the courts,” Hoyer said. “I think the Congress, as a co-equal branch of government, has a right to expect that witnesses it summons to come before it and testify will give it the information it needs.”

Democratic leaders had been quietly whipping the vote on the criminal contempt resolutions against Bolten and Miers, and Conyers filed paperwork with the clerk of the House last week that would allow the vote to go forward.

Conyers also sent a letter to White House counsel Fred Fielding, suggesting it was the last warning on the matter that will be given to the Bush administration before the House moves ahead with a vote.

The House Judiciary Committee voted in late July to hold Bolten and Miers in criminal contempt for failing to comply with subpoenas seeking documents and testimony related to the prosecutor purge.

President Bush, citing executive privilege, refused to allow the two to testify before the committee.

Former White House aide Karl Rove was also directed to refuse a similar subpoena issued by the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Are we a country of laws? Should we stand by while this Bush administration shows nothing but contempt for the rule of law? Put the pressure on this illegal administration. Let them know that the Executive branch is not a monarchy.

Bring up FISA, bring up Bush's war funding, or lack thereof, bring up the impeachment of Cheney, file contempt charges against Bolton and Miers. Do it all.

Let this administration and the American people know what Congressional Oversight means. It's our government, damn it!

Lets see, they serve at the will of the president. They are hired by the president, they are fired by the president. And there were laws broken? You're right, the one in Seattle should be brought up on charges for failing to even investigate all the illegal voting in the Governers race which was pointed out in the media. The Dem's have been complaining about voter fraud since Gore lost Florida, but appearently it is only when investigating alleged Repub violations. When it's the Dem's that need investigated forget it. We can't have anyone looking into that and if your stoolie that ensures the laws are not enforced on you, then he needs all your protection too. Lets not forget, that the justice department hasn't been nonpartisan since Reno took over and destroyed every wall of nonpartisanship she found. When the career lawyers in the Justice department recommended special investigations she was always there to nix any real investigation of Clinton's actions.

How can you blame Miers and Bolten for having contempt for congress, I do too. These stuff shirts get elected to get us out of these useless wars and they sit there giving up their powers, taking impeachment off the table in their acceptance speaches, the roll over everytime the chief crook asks for money. I want them all, republican and democrats, out of office. We need a clean slate in'08. We need a real president, not a corporate shill and a congress that understands that it is part of the checks and balance system of the constitution. I can't see me voting for ANY incumbent in the next election.

The entire world came out in unprecedented demonstrations to warn against waging the war and describe it's true nature In eloquent terms like "no to spilling red blood for black oil . . . It has now become clear to you and the entire world the impotence of the democratic system and how it plays with the interests of the peoples and their blood by sacrificing soldiers and populations to achieve the interests of the major corporations."

I am a hardcore Democrat but I am also a hardcore Rahm Emmanuel hater. He is scum and needs to be kicked out of office for being a war monger and a GOP lover. He has hurt the Democrats by supporting Pro-War candidates and blocking all the Democrats efforts to take control of Iraq and limiting Bush's powers.

I am a hardcore Democrat but I am also a hardcore Rahm Emmanuel hater.

I used to be a Democrat until 1992 when I learned that the Communist and Socialist Parties both endorsed Clinton for president. I became an Independent voter. The Democrats Left me.

He is scum and needs to be kicked out of office for being a war monger and a GOP lover.

He has hurt the Democrats by supporting Pro-War candidates and blocking all the Democrats efforts to take control of Iraq and limiting Bush's powers.

The fact that President Bush took out the Taliban and Saddam both are reasons we should be thankful not abusive. No one wants war but Saddam was a danger to his own people, his neighbors and a threat to the United States in my best estimation.

Saddam Hussein should have been removed 10 years earlier or sooner as he had Iraq involved in shadowy connections to virtually every attack on the United States including 911.

Hussein alhussainii John Doe 2

"And comparing it to classified material, this is not from just one witness, this is not from two witnesses; you're talking 23 people, you're talking at least 10 people who put Tim McVeigh with Hussain Alhussaini before the Oklahoma City bombing. "Two people who identified Hussain Alhussaini and Tim McVeigh in a bar on April 15; three people who identified Hussain Alhussaini running from the federal building early in the morning at 5:30 as if he is practicing timing himself. You have two witnesses that put Tim McVeigh with Hussain Alhussaini in the Ryder truck; you have one witness inside the Murrah Building who sees Hussain Alhussaini eating out of the truck"

1. Saddam paid suicide bombers. 2. Saddam employed suicide bombers to attack Bush Sr. 3. Iraqi Passports were used by Rashid the Iraqi and others from Afghanistan. 4. Saddam paid and harbored Yassin, the 1993 bomber. 5. Al Hussaini, an Iraqi was witnessed under oat as being with McVeigh. 6. Saddam harbored Abu Abass, Abu Nidal and other known terrorists 7. Osama spent 6 weeks in Baghdad at the Defense Minister's request. 9. Senior Iraqi Officials were known to have traveled to Aghganistan. 10. Czechs booted Ani out after meeting with Atta at least four times in April of 2001 11. Saddam commissioned his portrait with the World Trade Towers.